A conventional washer-dryer having the above-described functions has been structured as illustrated in FIG. 20. The structure is described below.
Referring to FIG. 20, an inner tub 1 of approximately cylindrical shape, functioning as a tub for both washing and spin-drying operations, is provided rotatably within the inside of an outer tub 2. At the upper part of inner tub 1 is a fluid balancer 3, in the inner bottom is a pulsator 4 provided freely rotatable. The outer tub 2 is housed in a cabinet 6, being suspended by a suspension gear 5 for anti-vibration. A motor 7 is provided at the bottom part of the outer tub 2. The motor 7 has a built-in clutch and gear for conveying the revolving force of the motor to a wash/spin-dry shaft 8, which has an empty dual-shaft structure and switches the transmission to the pulsator 4 or to the inner tub 1 in accordance with a process, washing or spin-drying. The outer tub 2 is connected at the bottom to a drain channel 9 via a drain cock 10. Hot air blowing means 11 comprises an air-blower and a heater (neither is shown); which is attached on the outer tub 2 for supplying hot air inside the inner tub 1 for drying the washing.
The operation of a washer-dryer of the above structure is described below. In a washing process, a washing 12 is thrown into the inner tub 1 together with detergent, and water or hot water is supplied therein. The clutch built in the motor 7 is switched to conveying the driving force of the motor 7 to the pulsator 4 via a wash shaft. The washing 12 is stirred by rotation of the pulsator 4.
In a spin-drying process, which follows after the washing process is over, water in the inner tub 1 is discharged by opening the discharge cock 10, and the clutch built in the motor 7 is switched to conveying the driving force of the motor 7 to the inner tub 1 via a spin-dry shaft. The inner tub is rotated, and the washing 12 is provided with a centrifugal force and is spin-dried.
In a drying process, hot air is supplied to inside the inner tub 1 by the hot air blowing means 11 while the pulsator 4 is driven in a normal mode. The washing 12 is dried by the hot air.
However, in the drying process under the conventional structure as described above, the hot air supplied from the hot air blowing means 11 into the inner tub 1 does not reach to the whole space of inner tub 1; the bottom space, among others, is not provided with a sufficient amount of hot air. Therefore, it is difficult to provide a washing 12 with a sufficient amount of the heat and the velocity of hot air in an efficient manner. Which means that it takes a long time for drying, and that a washing may not be dried evenly. Furthermore, as the hot air blowing means 11 has been attached on the outer tub 2, the gross weight of the vibrating body formed of the outer tub 2 and the hot air blowing means 11, which have been suspended by the suspension gear 5 from the cabinet 6, reaches to a substantial amount; which results in a significant vibration during operation, especially during the spin-drying process.